Palindrome by Ari Richter, 2007, cured meats and ground pork rinds on butcher paper

The title of this work, Palindrome, reflects certain unnerving realities of feed practices in the factory farm industry. To create this image, I photographed slices of assorted lunch meats atop a sheet of waxed butcher’s paper. These re-formed pigs are depicted in a cannibalistic frenzy, chowing-down on a cascade of ground-up pork rinds.

Food ethics and sustainability are matters of great personal interest. Growing-up in a mostly vegetarian household, working for a while as a butcher, and eventually reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, are all factors that have made me question my role in the consumer food chain. Today, I am a member of the Park Slope Food Coop, where I happily eat meat provided by their small, local farm partners.

Website:  www.aririchter.com